Nathan MacKinnon was ejected from the Colorado Avalanche game against the Edmonton Oilers. Now, the NHL has announced it will rescind his penalty — making fans furious about the decision.
Nathan MacKinnon is having a tremendous season with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche lead the entire league by five points, and MacKinnon is on pace for 139 points this season.
READ MORE: Jared Bednar’s brutal take on Nathan MacKinnon ejection
Nathan MacKinnon ejected from game
But on March 10, during the Avalanche–Oilers game, Nathan MacKinnon was given a five-minute major penalty and was ejected. The incident occurred late in the second period when MacKinnon crashed into Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram, who had to leave the game due to injury. The Oilers went on to win the game 4–3.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said after the game that he didn’t understand the penalty on MacKinnon at all, arguing that Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse pushed MacKinnon into the goaltender.
“I got his toes cutting up ice, probably through the top of the paint, and Ingram is on the goal line. There’s no chance he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. If you put guys into your own goalie, it’s not a penalty,” Bednar told reporters.
NHL’s new decision
On Thursday, the NHL announced that it will rescind the penalty. Players are liable for a one-game suspension if they receive two major penalties within a certain number of games, according to Sportsnet — something MacKinnon now doesn’t have to worry about.
But fans are now furious with referee Kelly Sutherland for handing out the major penalty in the first place.
Fans are furious
Online, fans are calling on the NHL to punish Sutherland, with some even saying he should be fired.
“I wish the NHL would start fining/suspending/reprimanding referees like Sutherland once in a while,” one fan writes on X.
“And Kelly Sutherland keeps his job somehow. It’s blatant he needs to be suspended or lose his job — he’s so bad at it,” another writes.
“So any repercussions for the referees who botched the call? At what point can they be held accountable?” a third fan asks.
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